Chapter 20: Becoming a Gay Man Starting Today

Chapter 20: Starting Today, I'm a Gay Guy

Twenty minutes ago.

Li Wuya, after Qin Shu nodded, immediately pulled him out the door and raced all the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

They had the place cleared, skipped the line, and many officials hurried over—everything went like clockwork, while Qin Shu just stared blankly.

"What do I need to do?" Qin Shu asked his best friend.

Li Wuya said nonchalantly, "Just wait until you sign."

So he signed.

Qin Shu took the pen without a word.

Neatly, stroke by stroke, he wrote his name.

Next was Li Wuya.

He signed quickly, without a hint of hesitation or reluctance, putting the pen down in less than a second and straightening up.

Someone over there was holding a stamp with both hands; Li Wuya picked it up and stamped it over the signature.

The document was copied, the copy taken by the staff, and the original handed over by Li Wuya to his adjutant.

It seemed like that was it.

They should be able to leave now.

Qin Shu, who had been pretending to be a lamppost on the side, gave Li Wuya a look.

Years of unspoken understanding, brothers in sync—Li Wuya caught on at once.

The next moment, Li Wuya took his hand.

His fingers slipped between Qin Shu's fingers, palms touching, warm and fitting perfectly together.

They were actually holding hands with fingers intertwined.

...What?

Qin Shu was dumbfounded.

Should I pull my hand away? But we just got married, didn't we?

Signing still felt unreal, but this interlocking of fingers really made Qin Shu feel that weird sensation.

Just now, at the moment of signing, they got married.

...He and Li Wuya really got married!

So, is this real hand-holding or just pretend?

Qin Shu's fingers remained stiffly between Li Wuya's fingers, unsure whether to intertwine back or withdraw.

He stole a glance at Li Wuya, who looked straight ahead with a calm expression, pulling him forward as if it was no big deal.

The people around them also had deadpan expressions, revealing nothing.

So they kept this position and walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

It was afternoon, the sunlight warm outside. As they got into the car, Li Wuya finally let go.

Qin Shu immediately put his hands behind his back.

They were silent for a moment.

Li Wuya gave a smirk: "Happy wedding."

"..." His smile is so creepy!

Qin Shu couldn't bring himself to say those four words, so he changed the subject: "Just now, when you held my hand..."

"Acting for them to see—if you're going to play the part, play it fully."

Li Wuya was very calm; his expression never changed. He added, "By the way, this is my first time holding hands with anyone."

Qin Shu: "Yeah, me too!"

Knowing that his best friend had also had his first hand-holding experience put him at ease. His whole body relaxed, and Qin Shu leaned on Li Wuya: "We've really sacrificed a lot to pretend to be gay!"

What happened today was way too stressful. He had to go home and play games to cool down!

"Mm."

Li Wuya wrapped one arm around his waist while using his phone with the other.

"Next, your place or mine?"

Qin Shu didn't lift his head: "Drop me off at my place first, then you go back to yours."

"..."

They looked at each other.

Qin Shu was confused.

Why was Li Wuya giving him that "you're abandoning me" look?

"We just got married; it's better to live together," Li Wuya said slowly, lowering his eyes. "Otherwise, what if people outside get suspicious?"

"Newlyweds drifting apart right after marriage, going separate ways right after marriage..."

Qin Shu got anxious just hearing the word "marriage" now and quickly cut Li Wuya off: "Then, then, then—your place or mine?"

"My place is too big. Living alone feels too lonely..."

"Fine, fine, my place it is!"

"Mm."

-

Qin Shu's home was a single-story apartment not far from the Star Union Agency.

A villa had also been an option, but Qin Shu had unhesitatingly passed it over and chosen this place. Li Wuya bought it for Qin Shu.

The renovation was also handled by Li Wuya, during which Qin Shu kept saying it was too much trouble, that he could do it himself—but what trouble?

Qin Shu's standards for home furnishings were too low; he didn't like fancy or extravagant things, just livable. Most of the budget originally set aside for renovation went unspent and could only be transferred to Qin Shu's account.

As for Qin Shu, his highest expense so far was buying a premium full-sensory gaming pod.

Stepping into Qin Shu’s home, Li Wuya scanned the room in one quick look.

Back when he used to visit often, he’d help Qin Shu clean up, but work had been busy lately, and he hadn’t been around for a while. He could only reluctantly leave the cleaning to Qin Shu himself and the part-time helper.

The first thing that caught his eye was the flowers.

The flowers he had given—some were on the table, some on the floor, some on the windowsill.

“A Shu, who sent that bouquet of sunflowers?”

Qin Shu was changing his shoes and glanced up. “That? No idea. Golden Retriever handed it to me, so I just took it.”

Something from someone he didn't know, and he still brought it home?

Li Wuya held back the urge to toss it out, grabbed a vase, and positioned it to completely block the sunflowers.

Under Qin Shu’s dumbfounded gaze, he sat down on the sofa as if nothing was wrong. “A Shu, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook today.”

“Wuya, when did you learn to cook?”

“Not long ago.”

To prepare for marriage, Li Wuya had done his homework thoroughly. Forget the boring external matters; when it came to domestic affairs, he considered himself to have reached perfection, with nothing left to chance.

Fifteen minutes later, vegetables, meat, and other ingredients arrived.

Half an hour later, Qin Shu stared in shock at a table full of delicious-looking dishes.

Li Wuya, wearing an apron, said offhandedly, “Honestly, I prefer cooking over handling military or political affairs.”

Qin Shu: “So you wanted to be a chef?”

“……”

Li Wuya was quiet for three seconds. “Alright, let's just eat.”

-

“How is it?” Li Wuya asked.

Qin Shu gave him a thumbs-up. “You could totally work as a professional chef!”

“……”

“Can we please drop the chef thing?”

Li Wuya took a deep breath and quickly changed the subject. “A Shu, I need to ask you for another favor next week.”

Qin Shu froze, his hand holding the spoon pausing mid-air.

“This Saturday, there’ll be a wedding banquet,” Li Wuya said, watching Qin Shu’s expression. “Military and political figures will attend. A Shu, I might need you to accompany me there.”

“This banquet needs to fully cement our marital status, and I also need…”

Li Wuya explained his reasons slowly and deliberately.

He had long prepared various responses to handle any reaction from Qin Shu, ready to use any underhanded tactic to secure this status completely—

Qin Shu said, “Okay, we’ll go together.”

He put his spoon down on the table, his expression serious. “Don’t worry, I get it. Just getting married won’t be enough to convince them; we have to go public and show off our affection publicly.”

“……Yeah.”

Li Wuya was left speechless again.

Things were going smoothly, so why did he feel like he kept getting hit by his own boomerangs coming back?

-

Li Wuya seemed busy. After dinner, he kept replying to messages on his terminal and taking calls one after another.

Qin Shu couldn't help suggesting, “Working remotely isn't very convenient, so why don't you just go—”

“I’m not leaving,” Li Wuya said.

Well, fine—no idea what his buddy's problem is.

But Qin Shu didn’t have time to dwell on it. He had his own stuff to deal with.

Bracing himself, he opened his terminal, which had been on silent.

Sure enough, countless messages were popping up.

Not knowing where to start, he got a call from Golden Retriever.

Qin Shu answered. “Hello?”

Golden Retriever's voice was choked with tears. “Captain, the thing that's been bothering you—was it about marrying the General?”

Qin Shu: “Uh, you could say that.”

“Captain, I was trying to cheer you up, not push you into a quick marriage!”

Across the sofa, Li Wuya's gaze quietly turned toward him.

Qin Shu was so embarrassed he felt like he wanted to disappear. “I’ll talk to you later about this. Right now, I’m—”

Golden Retriever kept crying. “If I’d known it was about this, I’d never have said anything good about him!”

“Captain, listen to me—that guy is insidious and full of schemes. You couldn't even win an argument with him…”

A whole lot of whining and complaining, making Qin Shu both awkward and fed up.

He cut Golden Retriever off mid-sentence. “Enough, enough—it’s just a marriage, why make such a big deal out of it? Haven’t you seen anyone get married before?”

Golden Retriever was sobbing loudly. “But I’ve never seen you get married, Captain! Think twice, even if he is the General—don’t walk into the tomb of marriage!”

“Oh, right, Captain, don’t you like wom—”

Qin Shu hung up.

Silence.

Qin Shu: “…Wuya, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Li Wuya’s expression was blank, as if lost in thought.

“Wuya?”

Qin Shu thought, Oh no—don’t tell me I’ve upset my buddy.

However, Li Wuya snapped out of his daze and actually smiled.

Qin Shu quickly said, "Golden Retriever really has no filter. I'll teach him a lesson when I go to work tomorrow!"

"No, no need. Huang Sanqi is very loyal. He cares about you deeply, and that deserves praise."

Li Wuya quietly adjusted his breathing and heartbeat, struggling to suppress his surging emotions.

The pleasant feeling that had persisted since Qin Shu nodded was brought to its peak by Huang Sanqi's call.

Yes, treacherous, cunning, and full of schemes—those were the most fitting words for him, but so what?

Qin Shu had already signed. Qin Shu was holding his hand. Qin Shu had become an inseparable part of him in the eyes of the outside world. From now on, they would be a family.

Even if it was a trap, Qin Shu had stepped into it. Even if it was a tomb, Qin Shu had chosen him without hesitation.

No matter how many lies were involved in building this reality, this was the truth.

They would kiss and whisper sweet nothings later. In the outside world, he would only be known as Qin Shu's spouse.

Li Wuya didn't care at all about the insults from others. In fact, he wouldn't mind if the insults got even harsher.

Hate him, envy him, despise him—weren't they all just wanting to be him?

So keep dreaming. Qin Shu was only his, and Qin Shu would only look at him.

His heart pounded like a drum, with a buzzing noise in his ears. Li Wuya hadn't felt such pure joy in a long time.

Everything was going so smoothly. His plans had come to fruition. Qin Shu was by his side, focused on him and his heart...

Was this a dream? Or heaven?

Qin Shu walked over and patted his shoulder. "Are you really okay? Golden Retriever was cursing you out."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Qin Shu: ?

He was shocked and pinched Li Wuya's face. "Wuya, are you out of your mind with anger?"

Li Wuya said, "I'm not angry."

Qin Shu didn't believe him at all. He pressed his hand over Li Wuya's heart.

"I can hear it, you know? Your heart is racing like crazy right now!"

Feeling his brother was stunned with anger, Qin Shu was really worried about his teammate's safety!

"I'm really not angry."

With a sudden pull, Qin Shu was yanked down onto the sofa.

His vision flipped, a shadow fell over him, and Li Wuya leaned down, pressing one knee between Qin Shu's legs.

In a dominant position, Li Wuya still kept his eyes lowered as usual.

The air flowed gently as he brushed a stray strand of hair from Qin Shu's temple.

"Marriage is a tomb. I'm just thinking, A Shu, do you regret it a little?"

Even if you do, I'll still take good care of you.